The Hideous Hero
by SergeantBacon
Summary: In a world where Pokemon are divided by appearances, a young Pinsir by the name of Peter Wolf attempts to unite his "ugly" comrades with the rest of the world. However, he discovers that he has abilities that the "beautiful" Pokémon cannot comprehend. To gain the trust of the Pokémon that hated his kind so, he uses his unique abilities to become a superhero and prove he isn't evil.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1: The Program

"I... what's happening to me..." Peter couldn't feel his arms or legs. What did that thing do to him? The Pokémon he was chasing backed up in horror. Police sirens could be heard nearby and flashing blue lights were approaching. Suddenly, Peter noticed that he had some sort of new body part to control. A new power.

A super power

* * *

 **Prologue**

 **The History of the Beauts and Hidiums**

Pokémon have evolved over time in many ways, especially the ones in this world. Like humans in real life, these Pokémon have developed their minds and communication abilities to form a society. The Pokémon in this tale have developed an economy, government and many other good things that humans have created as well. One of the unfortunate things humans have created is inequality. And sadly, the mythical creatures inhabiting this world have also created it. In a world where humans are nonexistent, the inhabitants of this world are discriminated against by species. More specifically, how physically appealing said specie is.

There are two groups in the world. The first is the "regular" or "good" Pokémon. They go to work, get paid and live relatively good lives. These Pokémon are known as the "Beauts". They make up most of the world. But there is a region filled with Pokémon that have been treated harshly for generations. The are known as the "Hidiums"; called this because they were dubbed hideous by those in power.

Many decades, possibly centuries ago all Pokémon species were equal. But soon everyone became obsessed with beauty. A war broke out between the species deemed ugly and those that were not. This is where the term "Hidium" was coined to represent those seen as too physical unappealing to be in society. Sadly, the unattractive Pokémon were severely outnumbered and had no choice but to surrender. The Beauts grew tired of looked at the horrendous faces of their defeated opponents. All Pokémon deemed too ugly to be a part of society were exiled to a region with few resources. There they lived for many, many long years.

Sympathy for the Hidiums died down overtime. It wasn't long before almost no one outside the Hidium village supported them and those who did were shunned. The Hidiums simply lived on their reserve and didn't leave out of fear.

However, a certain species of Pokémon did not belong to either group. The Zoroarks. They were a secret species of Pokémon hoping to trick the first world society into accepting the Hidiums. The Zoroarks are masters of illusions and have been in recent years caring a lot about the Hidiums. They came up with a plan to help bring the Hidiums into the modern society.

And that brings us to the present, where a young adult by the name of Peter Wolf will attempt to get involved with the program and become the first Hidium in decades upon decades to live among the "beautiful" Pokémon.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

 **The Program**

Peter Wolf the pinsir got out of bed. The sun was barely rising, yet he had much work to do. The first thing that needed to be done was to check on the crops. He went outside to the family farm where his father had already begun inspection.

"Morning, Peter," his father greeted him. Peter's father, Staney Wolf, was an accelgor. He was a wise and hardworking member of the community. Like everyone else, he had a specific crop to grow which he would share with the rest of the village in exchange for their harvests. His job was to grow potatoes, and his son was a big help pulling them up out of their roots. Despite his last name, neither him or his son were very wolf-like. They simply grew their crops in the fields and were content with what they had. Well, at least Stanley was.

"Heya, Pop," Peter replied. "Today's the day, you-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Stanley sighed. "You've been talking about it since you got selected two weeks ago. Look, it'll be dangerous. You can always back-"

"Nuh-uh! Never!" insisted Peter. "There's a whole world out there and you know it! I need to finish what Mom started." Peter's mother was also a Pinsir. Ten years ago, she attempted to escape from the village. She wanted to live among the people of the outside world. The wealthy and attractive ones known as the "Beauts". She knew as well that there was a far better world out there and she wanted to find it. Sadly, she didn't make it far past the border of the village before she was killed. The police brought her body back. As punishment, they had half our farms burned. Since then no one dared to venture forth. That is until now.

"Your mother wanted and still wants you to be safe," Stanley argued.

"Not all the time. She knew risk taking was important and you damn well know it." Peter's mother was a tough subject between him and his father. Even a decade later they both were still not completely over it.

"Please, let's not mention her now. We don't want our goodbye to be a fight."

"You're right," Peter agreed. "Are you ready?"

"Yep. Are you?"

"Are you joking? I've been preparing for this day for two years, seven months and twenty day! I've passed every test! You know that the zoroarks chose me!"

Ever since the war, the zoroarks had taken interest in the Hidiums. They were one of the only species that was able to live within the city and among the outcasts. This was due to their ability to create illusions. The Beauts knew that they were often times being tricked, but they didn't care as long as the appearance of those living among them were up to standard.

"Yes, I know," Stanley said. "But you know I'll always worry. Now go say goodbye to the village. Then come back here." Peter nodded. He walked away and headed to the town square. A ceremony for his departure was considered, but it could raise suspicion and attract the boarder guards. It's not like they needed one anyway. They all kept in touch with each other and knew everything about one another.

"Mornin', Peter!" called Mr. Kenyan. He was Peter's neighbor; a garbodor. His son Jack, also a garbodor, was Peter's best friend.

"Hiya, Mr. Kenyan. Is Jack home?" asked Peter.

"He'll be out in a minute," Mr. Kenyan replied. "I just can't believe it. When that darn zoroark Alan came down here with his wild idea eight years ago, I thought he was crazy. 'Ain't no one gonna be able to do that' I told myself. And now, here you are."

Nearly eight years prior to Peter's departure, a zoroark by the name of Zenzhi came to the village with an idea. Him and the other zoroarks has been hoping for peace between Hidiums and Beauts for as long as the separation between them had existed.

Zenzhi's plan was to teach the Hidiums how to live in a society with the Beauts. Zoroarks are well known for their ability to create illusions, and the plan was to disguise a Hidium as a Beaut and get him or her to live in their society. Slowly they would add more Hindiums disguised as Beauts if things went as planned and then they would begin supporting equality between Hidiums and Beauts.

Someone had to go first. Many young Hidiums volunteered. They were educated in the ways of the society outside their home. Currency, laws and other things of modern culture were taught by the zoroark. Soon came the tests and Peter Wolf came out with the best results. As Peter was reminiscing about all he had been through to get to this point, Jack appeared at the door.

"Can't believe you did it," congratulatied Jack. "I'm gonna miss you, dammit, but don't forget that I won't be too far behind. You'd better do good so I can join up." Peter and his Garbodor friend exchanged a hug. A stag beetle hugging a living pile of garbage. A strange acceptance you'd only see in the village of the Hidiums.

"The world will be ready for you before you know it," assured Peter. He let go of Jack. "Take good care of everyone while I'm gone.

"You know I will." After this promise, Peter bid Jack farewell and left without looking back. Not much was said but not much needed to be. Actions say more than words and that loving embrace between two best friends said a lot.

Peter said goodbye to the rest of the village. He gave his farewells to nearly every member of the community he possibly could. Despite the large population, it didn't take as long as one would think due to the fact that everyone lived so close together. Soon Peter met Zenzhi at the meeting spot.

"Today's your big day," Zenzhi said. "Are you all set? Said all your goodbyes? Remember; you'll be gone indefinitely."

"I've done all I can," Peter confirmed. "I'm ready to see the rest of the world!"

"Glad to see you're enthusiastic," chuckled Zenzhi. "Now tell me the identify I've crafted for you."

"My name is Bruce Kanger. I am a Machoke who is applying for a job taking pictures for a newspaper. I am moving into an apartment on Pearl Street and I come from a small town called Plainco," recited Peter perfectly.

"Well done. You know what you're doing," complimented Zenzhi. "All that information has been inserted into the government files. It's time to go."

Zenzhi didn't want to waste any time. They began to walk away until Peter's hometown seemed so tiny. Peter took one last look at the village and continued on, ready for the trials ahead.

* * *

 **Message from the author:**

 **Hi! Thanks for checking out my story. As you can probably tell I'll be tackling themes like discrimination, the over obsessiveness of beauty and some other things. This story will also be a sort of superhero story. Expect some heroic actions from Peter later on down the line.**

 **Also, when selecting characters from the list, Pinsir wasn't there at all! Can you believe it?! Someone contact the people at ! Have them add a genre for Action while they're at it.**

 **I should also mention the feedback I got earlier from when I published this chapter initially. I was given a lot of constructive criticism and I'm very grateful for it. I'm far from perfect and having my flaws pointed out from a different perspective is always useful. That's why I redid this part of the story a bit to make it more substantial.**

 **That's all for now! Please leave reviews so I can improve. Thanks for checking me out!**


	2. Chapter 2: Getting Down To Business

"Alright, I have something for you," said Zenzhi as he reached into the olive-colored single-strapped satchel around his should. He pulled out a bracelet with a small blue orb on it

"Is this the illusion stone?" asked Peter.

"Correct," answered Zenzhi. "If you wear this bracelet, you will be able to see through a Zoroark's illusions and be affected by them as well. This is how I will sneak you through and make you appear as a Machoke. I must warn you though that if someone touches you this will wear off." Peter slipped the bracelet onto his right wrist. It fit pretty well and felt like it belonged there.

Getting out of the village was nearly impossible for any Pokémon that wasn't a Zoroark. There were walls and security measures surrounding the village in full operation at all times. Zenzhi was able to use his illusion-creating powers to sneak past the systems and avoid triggering the alarms. He made both himself and Peter appear invisible. Together they approached the final threshold: the final wall. There was only one way past it and it was up.

"This is it," Zenzhi whispered. "Once you scale this wall you will be the first Hidium ever to make it out of the village. Normally I'd use my grapple gun go get over, but it can't take two Pokémon." Peter took a deep breath but didn't stop for more than a few seconds. He needed to get over this wall and see what was on the other side. Peter's arms were remarkably strong for a pinsir's. Most of his kind would prefer to use the mighty horns atop their heads to perform most tasks, but part of Peter's training involved improving his biceps and triceps. He had practiced climbing constantly just for this moment.

The wall was imperfect and the bricks making up the blockade had slowly morphed overtime. This caused the wall to have hand and footholds that made climbing possible. Peter hurriedly scaled the wall and approached the top. Zenzhi was right next to him, keeping an eye on Peter in case of a fall. But the pinsir was too determined to lose his grip. Finally, the top of the wall was within reach. Peter reached his right arm up and grabbed hold. As he moved his left arm and his legs up towards the top of the wall, he braced himself for the view. He'd seen pictures Zenzhi had taken from this exact spot, but he knew the impact would overwhelm him.

"Whadda ya think?" asked Zanzhi as the pokémon began pulling their bodies over the wall. It was as every bit breathtaking as Peter had imagined. Big, giant buildings that scraped the sky lies ahead. Leading up to the big city were smaller towns and roads leading to the grand capital.

"It's breathtaking," gasped Peter.

"Might look good from up here, but it's now so friendly down below," warned Zenzhi. He took a rope out of his satchel and tied it to a large peg hammered into the surface of the wall. "I've had this thing here for years. Works like a charm every time I need to go down." Peter and Zenzhi began slowly climbing down the rope. At last they had reached the bottom. Zenzhi launched a Dark Pulse at the top of the rope and cussed it to tear and fall to the ground and collapse in a heap.

Peter reached down and felt the earth. It felt the same as the dirt from back home. What was so special about this place that only Pokémon with certain appearances were allowed to walk here?

"We need to go," Zenzhi said as he stuffed his rope into his bag. "Make sure to follow me silently. We're still invisible to everyone else and we don't want them to hear us or there will be trouble." Peter nodded in agreement and trailed behind Zenzhi not uttering a word. They walked together in silence for several hours. They passed through many towns but didn't speak to anyone in them. Peter saw Pokémon unlike those he had ever seen. Beasts with white fur slicing up wood with red claws, strong and muscular blue sea creatures and fire breathing red and yellow monsters just to name a few. Zangoose, Swampert and Magmar. Peter had studied them in pictures for many years, but seeing them in person up close was breathtaking. They were all extremely graceful and well-formed. Their bodies all seemed perfect and symmetrical, which was a very rare sight to see on anyone back home. Peter so desperately wanted to meet them, but he couldn't blow their cover. Peter walked by the foreign creatures silently in order to preserve his undetectability.

Zenzhi would often steal food from the villagers and him and Peter would head far out into the countryside in order to eat it. Zenzhi justified this by saying that the Beauts had taken far more from the Hidiums than just some food.

It wasn't too long before Peter began to notice long strips of metal and wood covering the ground in a straight line.

"Those are train tracks," explained Zenzhi. "They're used for vehicles called trains to transport Pokémon in and out of the main city." Of course, thought Peter. He had Studies these before. But sadly there was so much that he had to learn that he couldn't keep it all inside the brain beneath his two horns. By sunset they had arrived at the base of the city.

"Here's the deal," said Zenzhi. "I'm about to disguise you as a Machoke. I will still be invisible but you will be able to see me. Do not under any circumstances talk, touch or interact with any other Pokémon. Just act normal and follow me to the apartment. There we will rest for the night and pick up some stuff you'll need that's waiting for you there. The gloves, your work stuff, et cetera. Understood?" Peter simply nodded. He had already gone over this plan dozens of times with Zenzhi, but now it was finally time to do the real thing. He didn't dare speak out of fear of blowing it. Zenzhi waved his arms and Peter knew that the illusion was activated.

Zenzhi snuck his way through the crowd somehow managing not to bump into anyone. Peter wanted to look at his surroundings but he got tunnel vision. He focused only on Zenzhi and followed him. It was only about a twenty minute walk but it felt like twenty years. Zenzhi stopped in front of a large building and Peter knew that this was it. Zenzhi motioned for Peter to open the door. Cautiously he grabbed the handle, his arm oozing sweat and coating the handle with a salty liquid. He pushed on the door but it wouldn't budge. He tried again; still nothing. Zenzhi rolled his eyes and put a claw on a small sign attached to the door. It read, "PULL".

Feeling like a moron, Peter pulled the door open quickly and ducked inside with Zenzgi right behind him. There was another door, but this one didn't have a sign. Perhaps this one was meant to be pushed? He tried, but it didn't budge. Luckily he noticed his own mistake much more quickly this time and pulled the door open and entered.

He stood within a lobby. There was a beartic lounging about in a chair nearby and a Leafeon at this front desk. Peter took a risk and waved at her to give a greeting. She smiled and nodded.

"Good evening Mr. Kagner," she said.

"Uh, hi," stuttered Peter. She already knew his fake name. Zenzhi must've come here to set things up prior to their arrival. Peter knew not to talk and continued following the invisible zoroark.

It felt weird to Peter following someone invisible to everyone else but him. He felt like a child playing with an imaginary friend. Zenzhi went up a flight of stairs and Peter followed. They ascended two floors and headed down a hall for a short distance. Zenzhi stopped in front of a door labeled with the number 305. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a small metal key. He inserted the key into a lock above the door handle and twisted it, unlocking the door and allowing him and Peter to enter.

Insice there was a table and chairs in the middle of the room. To the right of that was what appeared to be a kitchen but with high-tech stuff that Peter didn't have back in the village. He recognized a Beaut-quality stove and what was known as a "microwave" above it. Next to those was a large silver box that Peter assumed to be a "refrigerator".

"Welcome to your new home," said Zenzhi. "Now let's get down to business. Follow me please." Zenzhi walked to the left and Peter followed. There were two rooms; a bedroom on the left and a bathroom on the right. Zenzhi walked into the bedroom. Peter was amazed at what he saw. There was a huge bed of craftsmanship like he'd never seen before. Back at home beds were very simplistic. As long as they were decently comfortable and fit the Pokémon sleeping on it they were passable. But this seemed overkill. He jumped onto the bed and lied down happily. It felt like he was being engulfed in a holy cloud.

While Peter was resting atop the bed, Zenzhi was underneath. He pulled out a blue cot and a suitcase. Zenzhi opened the suitcase. Inside were several things that Peter had never seen before. He had no idea what they did. Zenzhi reached into his satchel and pulled out a small black object with a hook on the end and placed it inside the case. He then pulled out an even smaller black device. This one was no more than a couple centimeters long. Zenzhi also pulled out a small black cord with something on the end and a small bracelet-like thing attached to it.

"First of all, I'll take the cot and let you have the nice bed," said Zenzhi. If Peter's sideways mouth could smile it would've then and there. "Secondly this is your communication device. This small black piece goes in your ear to let you hear what I'm saying. This cord here is a microphone. You will wear it on your wrist and will allow you to talk to me. But only use it in private and if you absolutely need to. Fortunately my illusion will hide the mic if you put it on the same arm as the illusion stone and the earpiece will be too small for anyone to noticed. And yes I'm aware that you already know this, but remember: If we deviate from the plan even the tiniest bit your life will be in serious danger." Peter knew that Zenzhi had to be cautious. The entire Hidium village was counting on them. But Peter was more than ready to take up that responsibility.

"Don't worry Zenzhi, I'm more than prepared," reassured Peter confidently.

"Good," replied Zenzhi. "You'd better be because your job starts tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3: Lights, Camera, Action!

**"Hero... villain... what am I? Who's right and who's wrong?"**

* * *

Peter had a strange dream that night. He dreamed that he was flying throughout the city, weaving in and out between the tops of the skyscrapers. Suddenly, he was jerked to a side as if he was hit by something. He began to plummet towards the earth. He opened his mouth, but no sounds came out. Just as he was about to hit the ground, the dream ended.

Peter snapped awake and sat straight up in his bed. His alarm clock had gone off and he was covered in sweat. Zenzhi was already out of his cot and was in the kitchen making breakfast. Peter entered the room

"Good morning," greeted Zenzhi. "I've got another gift for you." He gestured towards the counter towards Peter's right. On the counter was a pair of thick purple gloves resembling the hands of a Machoke. Peter was very familiar with these and had practiced with them many times as a part of his training. Zenzhi's illusions could only influence sight and not touch. To make his disguise more realistic, Peter had to wear these gloves to shake hands with other Pokémon. Otherwise, they'd notice that they were shaking with a three-fingered hand instead of five and he would be exposed as not a machoke. Inside the gloves were mechanisms designed specifically for a pinsir's hands to control the fingers of the glove. Peter learned to pick things up and write with said gloves. He could shake the hand or paw of any Pokémon and they'd have no idea that they were interacting with a Hidium.

"I trust you remember how these work," said Zenzhi. Peter nodded slightly. There's not a lot of seperation between a pinsir's head and torso so his ability to make head-gestures was very limited.

"Make sure to disguise your voice like we practiced," reminded Zenzhi. "Machokes often have a deep voice and your normal voice is the polar opposite of that." It was true. Peter's voice was high-pitched and screechy like that of many bug pokémon. But that wouldn't pass off for a Machoke's voice.

"I'll be listening to you and giving instructions through the communication device," continued Zenzhi. "If you get in trouble cough four times into the microphone that we'll attach to your shoulder and I'll intervene." Peter knew all of this, of course. But Zenzhi wanted to be thorough. The zoroark explained more but Peter drowned most of it out. He was excited to begin his work in the city. Zenzhi had already given Peter in-depth lessons on how to use a camera, so photography should be pretty simple. When Zenzhi was finished talking, Peter put on his communication device. He attached the mic to his shoulder and put the earpiece in. Zenzhi made the illusion to disguise Peter as a machoke and make himself invisible. Him and Zenzhi headed out the door and stepped into the world capitol: Las Gigantes.

The sun shown down as Peter walked aside the streets. He was to work his job at a newspaper establishment known as the _Daily Messenger._ Peter noted the thousands of Pokémon walking along the streets. A dark blue quadruped creature with great long whiskers producing from his face; a stoutland. A gray bird with some white chest-feathers soaring above; a staraptor. A menacing-looking blue creature walking on all fours despite having huge red wings. This... Peter didn't recognize. He was surprised that he didn't remember such an intimidating creature. More surprisingly, no one else seemed to be intimidated either. Peter decided to ignore it and move on.

"Hey," called out a voice to Peter's right. He turned and saw a Lopinny, one arm again the wall and the other on her hip. "Come back here with me. I'll show you a good time." She winked at him alluringly. It took all of Peter's mental strength (and Zenzhi's yelling through the earpiece) to remain on task and avoid distractions.

Peter made his way to the Daily Messenger office building. It was a large 11-story building, but what really caught Peter's eye was the giant statue behind the building. The statue was that of a large creature with gigantic shoulders and a sphere encasing what seemed to be its head, which had seven dots in the middle forming a pattern. The entire thing was clearly made out of metal, for it glistened in the bright sun. How long it took to build such a massive structure of this shape and detail Peter would never know. He entered the office building to begin work.

* * *

Perer was at a bakery that had recently been robbed. The tables and chair were arranged in neat little rows and had been untouched. The glass pane wasn't so lucky. Shards of sharp glass lined the floor and reflected sunlight coming from where the window used to be. On the counter the was a cash register sitting wide open with nothing inside save a few small coins.

Petdr was assisting a reporter named Laura Lane; an Ambipom and up-and-coming reporter. She worked using both her real hands and her tail hands to hold her clipboard and jot down notes. She was interviewing the owner of the store; a Slurpuff.

"I've never been robbed before, and of course my first time being robbed had to be today," groaned the frustrated bakery owner. "We'd been collecting donations for weeks as well as setting aside some of our profits for the fund."

"And what fund is that?" asked Laura, flipping a page in her notebook with her free tail.

"It was for the orphanage a few blocks down," answered the interviewee. "'Sunflower Fields' is the name. Their kitchen is a disaster and half their equipment barely functions. Trust me, I can relate. And to see it happen to these poor children that have lost everything... I knew I had to do something. But all that is gone." AS Laura asked more questions about the robbery- "When did you find out?" "Any suspects?" "How will you recover from this?"- Peter surveyed the area and took pictures. The glass, the owner, where the cash register used to be; anything of possible significance. When the Ambipom was satisfied with her interview, she and Peter left to go get lunch.

* * *

The rest of the week was more of the same; Peter would be assigned a reporter to assist- usually Laura- and he would take pictures of various events and scenes. His favorite thing was the parade where large colorful structures designed to look like various things lined the streets and went down in a single file line. The Hidium village had parades too, but their limited resources allowed for only the most modest of celebrations.

Peter thought about home a lot. He missed his bed, his books (of which he had few because most in the village couldn't read) but most of all he missed his friends and his father. Then he remembered his father's former partner and how she died trying to get to where he is now.

That thought led to another that had never occurred to the Pinsir. His mother's killer was likely still out there. Of course he had no way of knowing who it was or if his mother's dead was even a murder. There wasn't even any confirmation of her death. But he knew that his mother would've come back if she were still alive. It took Peter a year to accept that fact when he was a child. He also knew that his mother wasn't clumsy at all. The chances of her dying due to an accident were very low. She was most likely killed by a border guard. Zenzhi always told Peter that this was the case. When asked about how he knew Zenzhi would simply reply, "Doesn't it make the most sense?"

It was Friday. Peter was on his way home when he accidentally took a wrong turn into an ally. He was about to turn around when he heard a scream. Almost entirely out of instinct, Peter dashed down the alleyway, still disguised as a Machoke.

"Peter, don't go that way!" barked Zenzhi. Peter ignored the orders coming from his earpiece and met with the source of the scream. There was a green Pokémon on the ground- a Roselia- being threatened by a larger pink bipedal Pokémon that was wielding a large knife.

"Hey, you better get outta here," warned the Medicham, not taking his eyes off of his victim. "Act like you never saw anything and I'll let you go."

"How about you let her go?" retorted Peter, taking a step forward.

"Peter, you're making a mistake!" growled an agitated Zenzhi. Once again Peter ignored the cautious zoroaek.

"Don't you know your types, dumbass?" sneered the robber. "I'm psychic, and you're fighting. Sure I'm fighting too, but I've got the upper hand. I'll make your head spin so hard you'll think you're a hitmontop." Peter knew not to get into a fight. If he got hit, his illusion would wear off instantly. But he couldn't just sit aside and let an innocent girl get robbed- or worse.

"Back off. I'm not what you're expecting," warned Peter. It was true. Maybe he could use the shock of his reveal to get an advantage. Plans of how to defeat his foe swirled in Peter's head.

"Alright, your funeral," said the medicham. His right hand begun to glow with a pinkish light. He dove forward and slashed Peter's side with psychic energy. The Medicham was now behind Peter and was facing the other way, unable to see Peter's true form.

Peter took the opportunity to attack. He lunged forward with his head in front. From behind he grabbed the medicham with the horns on his head and held him in a vicegrip. When he couldn't hold on for much longer, he gave the criminal a seismic toss against the wall. At this point he heard the roselia he saved run away screaming. Too bad he couldn't have helped her more, but at least she got away safely.

As the medicham rose to his feet, he got a good look at Peter. Color drained from his face as he took in the great brown creature with two giant gray spiked horns and a sideways mouth lined with a row of sharp teeth. It stuck one of its skinny arms out and pointed at the medicham, saying "Beat it".

Without a second thought he ran. He had no idea what just happened or what that... thing was. All he knew was that he needed to get out of there.

Still in the alley, Peter bent down and picked up the thief's knife. He turned it in his hand and examined it. He wondered to himself, "Just how much better is this city than the Hidium village?"


	4. Chapter 4: A Hero's Beginnings

"You are an absolute idiot!"

Zenzhi had been roaring insults at Peter since they got back to the apartment room ten minutes ago. Peter thought he did the right thing when he saved that Roselia, but Zenzhi thought otherwise. The zoroark had been scolding his student on jeopardizing the plan.

"You know that your identity wasn't supposed to be revealed at all. You KNEW that a fight would expose you! You're a Hidium; a mythical monster to these citizens. You KNEW the consequences! Last time a Hidium left the village, half the place was destroyed out of revenge! Imagine what they'll do if they find out another pinsir eacaped! It won't be long before-"

"How am I supposed to show the good of Hidiums if they don't know that a Hidium is doing good?!" blurted Peter. He didn't want to interrupt, but he couldn't take it anymore. The tirade of insults and scolding had brought him to his breaking point. The mention of his mother- the first Hidium to leave the village- riled up his emotions to a boiling point. If he had any less self control he would've been screaming like a madman by now. This interruption finally caused Zenzhi to grow silent.

"I just don't get the point. We're supposed to be promoting Hidium rights, but how is this accomplishing that?" continued Peter. "The main goal of all of this was to prove that Hidiums aren't that bad. How are we going to do that if no one knows that I'm the one helping their society?"

"Peter, you know that they'll freak out if they find a Hidium in their midsts," sighed a calmer Zenzhi. "The plan is to bring in Hidiums one at a time to adjust to society."

"How is keeping the identities of these Hidiums going to solve anything? They'll just continue to live in fear!" argued Peter.

"Yes, but one day there will be a mass reveal and it will show the public that the whole time Hidiums were helping them!" rebutted Zenzhi.

"That contradicts everything you said about an undying hatred of Hidiums!"

"We can't risk lives here!"

"Why not?"

"Because if they catch you, they'll kill you and every other Hidium!"

"We'll get nowhere if we aren't brave!"

"Fear keeps us alive, Peter!"

"Bravery isn't the absence of fear; it's pitting your fear aside for a cause!" Zenzhi felt like these words stabbed him with a knife. They were the exact words that he himself used to promote this project from the start. They were also the words that the zoroark master had said to the people before he left the clan to save the Hidiums. Zenzhi thought for a moment about home. The ideas thrown around of how to help these oppressed groups. One idea came from a dear friend of his. A fellow zoroark who loved epic tales of courage. His idea was so abstract and crazy that some thought it absurd. But others saw the genius in its risky nature. He called it "Project: Hero".

"Tell me, do you know what a superhero is?" Zenzhi's random question surprised Peter

"Well, yeah we have legends of Pokémon possessing powers abnormal to their kind," answered Peter. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I want you to become one," said Zenzhi.

"Wait, how?" asked a shocked Peter. Zenzhi had completely shifted from a super safe idea to one that was borderline insane. How this sudden change could've come about in just an instant he didn't know. He was confused and shocked, but also very intrigued.

"The zoroark council discussed a possibility similar to what you're proposing right now," explain Zenzhi. He went on to share the how the plan came about.

"Project: Hero. I like it," remarked the pinsir. "But how will we make this work? I don't have any abilities out of the ordinary.

"Your unusual appearance can give you an advantage of shock," explained Zenzhi. "But of course that alone won't be enough. You'll need some equipment, and I have a few items." Zenzhi lead Peter to the bedroom and took a case out from under the bed. It was the same one he had taken the communication device out of. Inside were a handful of small black objects and one larger black object. Zenzhi took one of the smaller ones out first.

"These things work with your communication device. You can turn one on and drop it somewhere and it'll pick up sound," Zenzhi described. "Very useful to listen in on things. Their backs are sticky, so you can attach them to walls or the like if you so choose. Now this-" Zenzhi reached for the larger black object. "This is something special. It's a grapple gun that you can use to latch onto something and pull yourself towards it. They Beauts have a few but us zoroarks have mastered them. They're made of a special kind of string soaked in zoroark venom that makes it not only stronger but also invisible to the naked eye. The hook has similar properties while it's moving through the air so you may trick some into thinking you're flying. You can make yourself less predictable and more awe-inspiring. I'll teach you how to use this in the future." Once again Zenzhi had made Peter's head spin. They hadn't discussed this at all in the past. But so far everything had gone as Zenzhi had said it would.

"There's one more thing-" Zenzhi hesitated to mention the last piece of equipment he had brought with. It was supposed to be for emergencies only; in case Peter was ever found out and Zenzhi had to take matters into his own hands. He had a very rare weapon that was extremely expensive to power. But perhaps this was an emergency of sorts. He was ordered to show the capabilities of Hidiums no matter what the cost. And if that cost was two hundred Pokedollars per shot, then it would have to be paid.

Zenzhi walked over to the closet. Inside there was a large metal box with a combination lock. Zenzhi entered the combination and lifted the top up. He looked in and admired the contents. He thought one last time about backing out, but he knew that Peter would never forgive him if he held anything back.

"This is a gem blaster," the zoroark took out an object similar in shape to the grappling gun. It was a bright golden color that shined under the light. Near the back on top of it there was a small glass dome. It looked like someone had cut off half of a bubble and stuck it on there. Where the gun was lied a small metal tray. Beneath the tray laid several gems glowing with different colors all lined up neatly in orderganized rows.

"It's a very valuable weapon that is made of and uses very valuable resources," Zenzhi explained. "This gum can extract the energy from type gems and use it as a projectile. Press this thing here-" Zenzhi flipped a switch on the side of the gun causing the dome to open up. "-and you can put your gems in here. Just push it closed like so- and be gentle- and you're ready to fire. Each gem provides the same amount of raw firepower, but they do different types of damage. We have plenty of gems of each type here so you should be prepared, but keep in mind that each gem can only be used once. After you fire you'll have to eject the gem and put a new one in. Understand?" So far things made sense to Peter. Gun uses gems, gems have differentl types, each gen can only be used once. Zenzhi also promised to teach Peter hands on how to use his equipment.

"Ok, this is the last thing I have for you," Zenzhi said. He took out a long leather strap with a similar color to Peter's hide. It was lined with empty pouches.

"You can use this belt to keep your equipment in. Guns can go in the larger pouches, and you can sort your gems into the smaller ones." Peter took the belt and tried it on. It felt pretty good on him, but he felt he was missing something.

"Should I have some sort of trademark?" asked Peter

"What do you mean?" quizzed Zenzhi.

"You know; something that can make me stand out more when I'm doing my thing," explained Peter.

"I think being a Hodium makes you stand out enough."

"I mean something cool. Like a mask or whatever." Zenzhi took a long piece of red cloth and cut eyehole into it. Peter tied it around his head. He looked and felt fierce with it on. He felt like he was brave and strong. Like he could overcome every obstacle.

Like he was a superhero.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

 **Sorry it's been so long. Life stuff- you know how it is. I'll keep this simple; I'd like some feedback on this chapter. Truthfully I'm not certain that it makes a whole lot of sense to the reader. So some input would much appreciated. Thanks!**

* * *

 _Flint walked down the staircase and into the basement. It was dark and no lights were on, but he didn't need any lights. He was a light himself. He opened the door and called for his partner._

 _"Auronio? Are you down here?" He ventured forth and saw a faint blue glow. He walked towards it and saw his oldest friend meditating. All of a sudden the blue light shut off. He opened his eyes, stood up, turned around to face his friend and spoke._

 _"There is a disruptance in the aura. Someone is here who doesn't belong here."_


End file.
